As I have had to hang up my leathers I have gone back to my childhood dream of being a fighter pilot... well as near as I can get. After about 24 hours of training and it's time for the first milestone. Solo.
Speaking out loud helped me figure out what I had done wrong... classic still day energy management issue. Having less weight made it need a little less power but I should have picked up on the getting high sooner... still, all good knowledge. Thank you
I'm hoping to learn to fly next year 🤞. I was in Winton on the 13th visiting my Aunt. I was watching the light aircraft from Barton flying overhead, you might have been one of them. Good luck with getting your pilot's licence.
I could have been. Thank you. It has been something I wanted to do from a really young age and never thought I could do it. Get at least a trail lesson booked, it'll give you a hunger for it.
Congratulations. Fantastic achievement. Too high and too fast, I used to find that when flying first solo as you're not carrying the instructor and the aircraft performs differently with the lower weight, plus with bugger all wind it doesn't help. Well recovered though and a good airmanship decision.
It was all going well initially but it was a totally still day and with all the points you make I let it get too high and so didn't have enough time to bleed the speed off. 100 less revs and full flaps earlier sorted it on the second go. (I floated a good long way further down the runway than I wanted)
Interesting that. I am going to guess you are in the US. In the UK we don't have to (unless requested to do so). I asked one of my instructors once and they said "they have a window". Maybe different at different airfields but at Barton you don't. If something is on the runway when you are at 300ft you go around.
